November 28, 2024

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(From left) Samsung Electronics' new foundry chief Han Jin-man, the chip devision's chief technology officer Nam Seok-woo and strategic chief Kim Yong-kwan (Samsung Electronics)

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday replaced its foundry business head in its year-end leadership reshuffle and created the new president-level position of chief technology officer in an apparent move to breathe fresh air into its sluggish foundry business.

The tech giant promoted Han Jin-man, executive vice president and head of Device Solutions America, to president and head of its foundry business.

After joining Samsung in January 1989, Han has held various roles, including leading DRAM and flash memory design, SSD development, and strategic marketing teams. He assumed the role of head of Device Solutions America in 2022 and has been leading chip operations at the forefront of the US market.

The 58-year-old memory chip expert is recognized for his technical expertise, business acumen and extensive global customer engagement experience.

Samsung touted him as a chip specialist who can strengthen client relations and elevate the competitiveness of the foundry business to the next level.

As part of its renewed foundry push, Samsung also named Nam Seok-woo, president and head of fab engineering and operations, as chief technology officer, a new position within the foundry business.

Nam is an expert in chip process development and manufacturing. The 58-year-old chip manufacturing veteran joined Samsung in January 1988 and moved through the memory process technology unit and memory division.

He led the process development for all memory products and the semiconductor research and development center. Nam also served as the head of the memory and foundry manufacturing technology center and device solution division manufacturing and technology as well.

He has contributed significantly to securing advanced process technology and strengthening manufacturing competitiveness. With his extensive experience in chip processes and manufacturing, Nam is expected to enhance the technological capabilities of the foundry business amid competition in the sub-2 nanometer advanced process technology intensifies within the industry.

Another notable change at this year’s top brass reshuffle is the establishment of a new president-level role, head of management strategy for device solutions division.

Kim Yong-kwan, executive vice president of the business support task force, was named to the new position.

Kim is a strategic planning expert with experience in chip planning and finance. The 61-year-old veteran started working at the tech giant in December 1988, going on to work in a planning team and strategic support team.

He has also worked in the future strategy office, which acted as a control tower until February 2017. In 2020, he took charge of Samsung Medison, a medical equipment subsidiary of the tech giant, stabilizing operations before transitioning to the business support task force in May 2024, where he contributed as a chip support leader.

As the head of management strategy, the tech giant expects Kim to leverage his rich experience in business operations to spearhead the DS division’s new growth initiatives and accelerate the recovery of semiconductor competitiveness.

By Jie Ye-eun (yeeun@heraldcorp.com)